Electric-light regulator.



L. SYKE S.

ELECTRIC LiGHT REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 4 191% Patented Aug. 14, 1917-.

INVENTOR Leonard s y/fen,

ATTORNEYS UNITED s'rarns Parana? onmon.

LEONARD SYKES, 0F FORT WAY INDIANA, ASSIGITUR T0 DUDLQ MAN'UFACTURINGCOMPANY, OF FORT WAYNE, II'IDIANA, A COBPQRATIGN.

ELECTRIC-LIGHT REGULATOR.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ari $14, 1917.

Application filed November 4, 1916. Serial No. 129, t36.

the county of Allen and State of Indiana,-

have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric-Light Regulators,of which the following is a Specification. I

The invention relates to electric light regulators in which a series ofexposed coils and a movable contact adapted to be rocked across thecoils to establish electrical connection therewith, vary the resistanceto the current passing to the filament of the lamp.

The object is to provide a simple and economical device which shallefficiently regulate the current flowing to the electr c lamp.

Another object is to provide a novel and eflicient contact which isreadily moved across the resistance coil.

Other objects will be set forth here1n after.

In the drawings, inv which I illustrate one embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is an elevational View of the dev1ce.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the device. I

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on l1ne'22 of Fig. 2, the casing beingomitted.

Fig. at is a plan view of the contact rocking member.

Fig. 5 is an elevatlonal view of the contact.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the upper member of the main body of theregulator.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevational view of the regulator, the contacthaving been rocked to its cut-out position.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of a plug provided with the invention.

Fig. 9 is a cross-section on line 9-9 of I Fig. 6.

A pin 14 also extends upwardly through member 10 and through plate 11-,with which plate it makes contact. The lower end of pin 14 is connectedto or is part of the upper end 15 of socket 16 which is also aperturedat 17 to obviate contact between the socket and bolt 13. The socket isif. the usual form to receive an incandescent lamp. A suitable plate, 18is supported by bolt 13 and suitable insulation 19 prevents electricalcontact between the plate and socket 16. In order that 'bolt 13, whendrawn up tightly, shall hold the parts below member 10 in place, Iprovide a depending boss 10 on member 10 and also provide acorresponding depression in plate 18 and end 15 of the socket sothat-the insulation 19 and the end of socket 16v are firmly grippedbetween the boss and the depression in the plate.

Above member 10 and spacedfrom it by plate 11 is the upper member 20 ofthe main body of the regulator. This member, like member 10, is formedof vulcanized rubber or other suitable insulation. The upper end of pin14 is extended into an aperture provided in the lower face of member 20and serves to prevent relative movement of the two members.

Between the two members is wound a resistance 21 of the requisite ordesired number of turns of insulated wire, one end thereof beingconnected to conductor plate 11, and the other end being suitablyengaged in member 20.

, A radially extending slot 22 is provided in member 20, and disposedwithin the slot is a contact member 23 having its lower edge curved andadapted to contact with resistance 21, the insulation of the severalturns of wire having been scraped off immediately below slot 22 in orderto present bare wire to member 23. Member 23 is adapted to be rocked toand fro upon the bare wire to cut in or out as many of the turns of wireas the user desires. The lower edge of the contact is straightened outat one end so as to provide ashort flat surface 23 which will contactwith a selected number of the inner turns of the resistance at once.lWhen the contact is rocked inwardly the inner end or point of the samemeets conductor plate 11 whereupon the resistance is cut-out of thecircuit and the lamp receives the full current; As the contact is rockedoutwardly its flat" or straight edge 23 is first elevated and at oncecuts in a selected number of turns of the resistance coil in the circuitin order that the coil shall not overheat. The continued movement of thecontact upon its curved portion gradually cuts in more and more of theresist ance.

A boss 24 projects upwardly from member 20. A disk 25 is revoluble upona circular portion 24 on theboss and is provided with a cam slot 26which engages the upper end of contact member 23. As the disk is rotatedin either direction the contact member is caused to rock on resistance21. Boss 24,

above the circular portion 24, is rectangular.

in shape and an insulating disk 27 is disposed upon the disk 25 andengages the oss. Top 28 of casing 29 rests upon insulation 27 and iscentrallyapertured to be engaged over boss. 24. Insulation 30 is placedupon top 28 and a spring 31 is engaged over boss 24 and upon insulation30. The outer free end of the spring engages the upper end of contactmember 23 which extends through slot 26 in disk 25. The top 28 andinsulation 27 and 30 are cut-out to permit of the free access of thespring to the contact member.

A plate 32 is in contact with spring 31 and isc arried by a block ofinsulation 33 through which bolt 13 is extended. .One of the feed wires34 is connected to plate 32 and the other feed wire 35 is connected toplate 36 which is connected to bolt 13 by nut 37. Nut 38 on bolt 13 whentightened on the bolt holds together all the se veral parts between thenut and the head of the bolt, and nut 37 holds the terminal plates 32and 36 tightly on block 33 and maintains contact between spring 31 andplate 32.

To enable disk 25 to be rotated or oscillated I provide a chain 39 whichis secured at its middle portion to the disk. A groove 40 is provided inthe upper face ofmember 20 which opens at its ends through the side ofmember 20. The chain is placed in this groove and its opposite endsproject through the open ends thereof and through openings 29 providedin casing 29. By pulling upon one depending end of the chain the disk iscaused to rotate and rock the contact member in one direction, therotation of the disk in the opposite direction, produced by pulling onthe other end of the chain, causing the contact member to rock in theopposite direction. When one end of the cam slot in disk 25 is reachedby the contact member that member will have been rocked intoconta'ctwith conductor plate 11, all the resistance is out of circuitand the lamp receives the full current. 7

As the disk is rotated in the opposite direction the contact member isrocked across resistance 21 and more and more of the resistance is cutinto circuit and when the end of the cam slot abuts the upper end ofcontact member 23 that member has passed from under spring 31 to breakthe circuit to the lamp and the lamp is extinguished. Any

degree of brilliancy of the lamp from zero to.

spring 31, plate 32 and out through wire 34. I

In Fig. 8 a plug 41 is substituted for block 33 and the terminal platesof the previous figures and the upper portion 40 of the casing isomitted. The plug enables the device to be installed between a lampsocket and the lamp wherever the socket may be connected to the mainelectrical circuit. The screw shell of the plug, in this illustration,is in contact with spring 31, and bolt 13 extends through the plug.

. It is to be noted that contact member 23 is rocked in guide slot 22over the resistance coil and is notrubbed over the wire as in priordevices. Wear on the wire by the contact member is therefore practicallyeliminated.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a pair of main insulating members, of aconductor plate separating the two members, a resistance coil betweenthe two members and having one end connected to the plate, a contactmember loosely supported in one of the insulating members andindependent thereof and adapted for engagement with the conductor plateand the resistance coil, and means to rock the contact member in avertical plane.

2. The combination with a pair of main insulating members, of aconductor plate separating the two members, a resistance coil betweenthe two members and connected at one end to the conductor plate, acontact member loosely supported in one of the insulating members andindependent thereof and adapted for engagement with the conductor plateand the resistance coil, a sprin adapted to engage the contact member anmeans to rock the contact member across the resistance coil intoengagement with the conductor plate or out of engagement with thespring.

3. The combination with an electric circuit, of a pair of maininsulating members,

plate, a contact member loosely supported 1n one of the insulatingmembers and independent thereof and adapted for engagement with theconductor plate and the resistance coil, a fixed spring normallyengaging the contact member, an electrical conductor having connectionwith the spring, a bolt projectin through the insulation members and socket and itself insulated from the socket, the conductor plate and thespring, an electrical conductor connected to the bolt, means to closethe circuit between the bolt and the socket and a revoluble' disk havingacam slot therein and engaging. the contact member for rocking thecontact member in a vertical plane across the resistance coil.

4:. The combination with an electric circuit of a pair of maininsulating members, a conductor plate anda resistance member betweenvthe two members, the resistance member being connected at one end tothe conductor late, a contact member loosely supported 1n one of theinsulating members and adapted for engagement with the resist.- ancemember and the conductor plate, a spring adapted to engage the contactmemher, a socket having electrical connection With the conductor plate,the socket, conductor plate, resistance member, contact member andspring constituting one side of the circuit, a bolt extending throughthe insulating members and constituting the other side of the circuit, acam engaging the and a cam plate engaging the contact mem-fi her andadapted to rock said member across the resistance member.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 1st day ofNovember, 1916. LEONARD SYKES.

